Fossils

really rushed sorry

cladogram

a diagram that shows an evolutionary relationship

phylogeny

the study of evolutionary relationships

evolutionary classification

classification based on evolutionary relationships

cladistics

a form of analysis that looks at newer features of organisms

derived characters

traits that appear in recent parts of a lineage but not in older parts

levels in the Linnaeus system

kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, and species.

number of levels in the Linnaeus system

seven levels

developer of the classification system we use

Carl Linnaeus

broadest level before 1990

kingdom

most specific level

species

broadest level after 1990

domain

scientific name for humans

Homo sapiens

the two levels used in binomial nomenclature

genus and species

clade

a group that includes a single common ancestor and all of its descendants

binomial nomenclature

two-part naming system using Latin words

taxonomy

science of naming and classifying organisms

taxon

groups of organisms in a classification system

the direction you go to find the closest related organism on a cladogram

backwards

parent

radioactive and unstable

daughter

nonradioactive and stable

paleontology

study of fossils

paleontologist

person who studies fossils and ancient life

relative dating

relative age is determined by placement of layers to other fossils

radiometric dating

age is determined by measuring the natural decay of radioactive isotopes

index fossil

fossil that is found in many places and had a short life span

half-life

amount of time is takes for half of the radioactive atoms in a sample to decay

node

the place where the ancestral linage splits

fossils

preserved remains or traces of ancient life

extinct

a species that has died out

isotopes

same element and same atomic number but different mass numbers

carbon isotope that is most commonly used in radiometric dating

carbon 14

sedimentary rock

the type of rock most fossils are found in

dichotomous key

a key for the identification of organisms based on a series of choices between alternative characters

the three types of domain

archaea, bacteria, and eukarya